Elvis Presley and his Electra Glides: A King's Collection
Daily Slideshow: This collection of Elvis Presley' Electra Glide bikes was archived with provenance.
PBBB / FLH
Was music legend Elvis Presley more obsessed with 'Peanut Butter, Banana, and Bacon' sandwiches, or with motorcycles? Pauline Nicholson, Elvis' cook and creator of the PBBB, sadly noted that “The only thing in life he got any enjoyment out of was eating.” If motorcycles were indeed second to eating, then the Harley-Davidson Electra Glide was Elvis' runner-up source of enjoyment.
Graceland Glides
Elvis purchased numerous Electra Glides from 1965 to 1976 — only a portion of which have been archived and put on display. An avid motorcyclist for most of his life, there is no telling how many bikes Elvis actually owned. Collectors and historians alike, say that it is easier to catalog his guitars than his motorcycles.
Photo courtesy of Smithsonian Magazine
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1965 FLH Electra Glide
Records are a bit vague, but it is thought that Elvis bought the newly-released Electra Glide in the spring of 1965. At the time, Elvis was living on Perugia Way in Los Angeles, where he would gather his entourage for group rides. It is known that his neighbors started a petition about the noise, and obligingly, Elvis would trailer all the motorcycles in and out of the subdivision's gates.
Photo courtesy of Mecum Auctions
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1966 FLH Electra Glide
Upon returning to Memphis, Elvis bought a new 1966 Electra Glide from Taylor Harley-Davidson on October 12, 1965. The first year FLH Shovelhead was Hi-Fi Blue and Birch White, complete with saddlebags, crash bars, buddy seat, and windshield. At the time, personal aide and advisor, Marty Lacker, noted that Elvis' motorcycles did not travel. Instead, Elvis housed separate collections across the country.
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1971 FLH Electra Glide
Elvis' next recorded purchase of an Electra Glide was in 1971. Seen in this infamous photograph taken by Dave Darnell for the Commercial Appeals in June 1972, the Electra Glide is likely the one referenced in a property settlement between Elvis, and his estranged wife Priscilla. Elvis is pictured riding with Mary Kathleen Selph, a dancer and singer at the Whirlaway Club in Memphis.
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1975 FLH 1200
On October 22, 1974, Elvis purchased a black 1975 Harley-Davidson FLH 1200. While still an Electra-Glide, the name script does not appear on the fender. The 1975 FLH, with only 2,982 miles on the odometer, was purchased by Deborah Meyers in 1995 and remains on display at South East Harley-Davidson in Bedford Heights, Ohio to this day.
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1976 FLH Electra Glide Vetter Liberator
Elvis bought another Electra Glide in March of 1976. The FLH 'Liberator' was a metallic black 'Liberty Edition' equipped with the enormous Craig Vetter Fairing — a frame-mounted fairing that apparently improved aerodynamics and handling. It is rumored that Elvis purchased a number of Liberators, but was only ever photographed riding the metallic black model.
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1976 'Murdo' FLH Electra Glide
At the beginning of August 1976, Elvis returned to Palm Springs. On August 11, he bought another 1976 Electra-Glide. There are no photographs of Elvis riding the custom painted 'Murdo' FLH. After Elvis' death, the Murdo FLH was horse traded until it landed in the possession of Dave Geisler, who owns and operates the Pioneer Auto Museum in Murdo, South Dakota.
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1976 FLH Electra Glide
Permanently parked at Graceland is one of Elvis' last purchases — a custom-painted Electra Glide. At the end of October 1976, Elvis received a shipment of motorcycles that reportedly interrupted a lackluster recording session. Author Peter Guralnick wrote in his book Last Train to Memphis, that Elvis insisted everyone in attendance go out for a ride. Ten months later, on August 16, 1977, Elvis 'left the building' for the last time.
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